The Next Generation: Secure The Future
by spazzyd
Summary: For the future to be secured, one man must go back in time so they can relive the present. SG1 Crossover, AU, Future fic
1. Character Index

**The Main Characters**

**Earth - The SGCThe Pegasus Galaxy - Atlantis**

Jacob O'Neill – 17Brandon Sheppard - 17

Grace O'Neill – 17Melissa Sheppard - 17

Hannah O'Neill – 14

Shay'na – 17Caleb McKay - 17

Niko – 14

Ada Zelenka - 16

Rachel Jackson – 17

Matthew Jackson – 16Alex Beckett - 16

Jennie Jackson – 14

Asher Dex - 14

Shawn Mitchell – 17

Delia Mitchell – 16

**CHAPTER ONE**

**_Jacob O'Neill - Earth_**

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**Brandon Sheppard - Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER THREE**

**_Grace O'Neill_** **_ - Earth_**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_**Melissa Sheppard – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_**Shay'na – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER SIX**

_**Caleb McKay – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_**Rachel Jackson – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**_Shawn Mitchell – Atlantis_**

**CHAPTER NINE**

_**Ada Zelenka – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER TEN**

_**Alex Beckett – Atlantis**_

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_**Matthew Jackson – Location Unknown**_

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_**Nik – Location Unknown**_

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_**Delia Mitchell – Location Unknown**_

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

_**Asher Dex – Location Unknown**_

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

_**Hannah O'Neill – Location Unknown**_

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_**Jennie Jackson – Location Unknown**_


	2. Prologue

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

**

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**

**PROLOGUE**

"I wish I could give you better news than this," the seemingly young man told the somber group of soldiers and scientists, "especially as this is our first meeting. Unfortunately, the tale is just as I've told it. Your children are destined to die unless we take measures to prevent it."

Kieran glanced from one charge to the next with a heavy heart. Sitting on the laps of their parents in front of him were the children he'd seen nearly thirty years into the future. He knew he was breaking the rules, but somehow it all seemed worth it. The Others could do what they wanted with him and with Oma, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

"Kieran," Colonel Samantha Carter spoke first amongst the group. "What can we do at this point? The timeline has already been altered, just by you coming here to warn us."

She'd been the first to believe his story when he'd first warned her three weeks prior to this meeting on Dakara. The others had been skeptical, and their leader had almost denied him access to the base. It took quite a bit of convincing for General Hank Landry to even consider recalling his best men and women from Atlantis for this. Kieran had needed to prove himself. But he'd surprisingly had Colonel Carter's trust from almost the beginning. It was with her help that he was able to move forward with his plan.

"I believe there is a way to protect the children." He swallowed and once again made eye contact with everyone in the room. He could not miss one person, for it would take the cooperation of everyone to save the future. He simply needed time.


	3. Chapter 1: Jacob O'Neill

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER ONE**

_**Jake O'Neill - Earth**_

In a perfect world, at the start of my summer vacation before my senior year, I would have been on a road trip with my buddies, on my way to sunny California. In a perfect world, the waves would've been waiting for me, calling my name. In a perfect world, my dad wouldn't have still been pissed about my final grades and my mom wouldn't have been so paranoid about me going on a road trip without "adult supervision."

However, our world wasn't perfect. Still isn't, in fact. That's why I was there. Sitting in the SGC briefing room next to the kids I'd grown up with. Preparing for my first off-world trip. Unarmed. Not on a mission. Did I mention I was unarmed?

It was an unplanned trip. Somehow one of us had blown up one experiment too many, or had destroyed one artifact too many, or had flown one Puddlejumper too many. Frankly, the SGC had been ill-equipped to handle us from the beginning, but our parents had always been in denial. I assumed one of us had given them cause for concern this summer, because Mom had us packing for a spontaneous trip to Atlantis that very morning, faster than we could say, "Pegasus Galaxy." I had to admit, it was a little strange. But I definitely wasn't in the position to argue. Dad and I were still on "angry, alpha terms" from our fight the evening before, after all.

In the briefing room, Mom was up front with Aunt Vala and Uncle Teal'c, giving us the lecture that I'd always longed to hear. All my life I'd wanted to go through the Stargate, even if it was only to the Alpha site. Dad always said that I had to be a part of the SGC, at which point Mom would furrow her eyebrows and look away. She was afraid I'd take him up on the offer. She had good reason to believe that.

I knew the danger – heck, I was born _from_ it. But that didn't stop my curiosity. Really, it didn't stop any of us kids from wanting to be a part of the Great Unknown. Our parents never discouraged us, but they certainly never pushed us towards it, either. This, of course, made us suspicious. And when one of them would dodge our questions, it only made us even more curious. As it stood, all of us wanted to be a part of the SGC, and there was nothing and no one who could stop us. We were kinda stubborn like that, I guess. Stubborn and immature.

I looked up in time to catch Mom shooting me a classic death glare. Whoops. Guess that meant I had missed something relatively important. Slowly, I stood up with the rest of the brood and cleared my throat, making sure to send her a dopey smile in return on my way out the door. Apparently we needed to be "kitted up" and at the ramp within the hour.

As the oldest of the bunch (though only by 10 minutes), I felt a certain responsibility for the crew. My twin sister, Grace, inherited our mom's scientific tunnel vision, meaning that she sometimes got wrapped up in the more intricate details of life. Shay'na, the girl I loved like a sister, was only a few months younger than Grace and me. Shay'na, like Uncle Teal'c, was more patient than Grace or I, so she tended to be the one who bore the brunt of a lot of crap. Rachel was born a few weeks after Shay'na (I swear our parents did EVERYTHING in sync), and she had her dad's penchant for finding trouble anywhere and everywhere. To be honest, I loved Rachel… just not like a sister…

Yeah… It was getting harder and harder to ignore that little fact these days.

Now, Grace, Shay'na and Rachel were all very capable of taking care of themselves, and had proven that fact time and time again. Still, it didn't stop me from going into "protective mode" every once in a while. Not by a long shot. Luckily, I had help from Shawn, who was born literally one day after Rachel. It didn't matter that he was the youngest of us. He ended up being the brawniest of us all – much to my dismay. Yeah, Mitchell's always had me in strength, but I've definitely got him in speed. Together, we've gotten out of heaps of trouble, and I wouldn't want any other man watching my back – and I mean that. With Grace, Shay'na and Rachel in my life, Shawn's the only one who truly understands what I'm going through. _Women_, is all I have say.

Rachel's brother, Matt, and Shawn's sister, Delia, were next. At the lovely age of 16, Matt had managed to take after his mom. He's a bit of a klepto. But, like Aunt Vala, he always committed crime in style – and sometimes at the expense of our sanity. We all joked that every gray hair on Uncle Daniel's head was because of Matt. Delia, on the other hand, had no criminal record, but was the ultimate daredevil of the group, and vowed to be a pilot like her dad.

The thing is, Delia and Shawn's mom, Carolyn, died in a car accident when Delia was a baby. A year after that, Uncle Cameron took a position off-world. He was on Earth two weeks out of the month, but it typically left Shawn and Delia on Earth with either us or the Jacksons. While Delia has adjusted rather well, I don't think Shawn's ever truly gotten over it.

Finally, came the three I fondly referred to as, "The Rugrats." Jennifer Jackson, an interesting combination of linguistic genius and athletic prowess, was first. She's one of the best to be with in a tight spot, I have to admit. Hannah, the youngest O'Neill AND Ancient technology specialist, was born a week after Jennie. And Niko, or Nik, was born a few months after that. Once again, our parents proved to be on the same page when it came to just about everything – including, creepily enough, child bearing. However, complications arose during Nik's birth that almost killed him, and ended with Aunt Ishta spending her last few days in a coma.

Uncle Teal'c was never the same after that.

We always thought that that was how he and Uncle Cameron bonded so well. By then, Uncle Cam had been grieving for nearly two years. The two had a common pain, and each reacted similarly to that grief. Uncle Teal'c was off-world quite a bit as well, leaving Shay and Nik mostly with us. They went to school with us, lived with us. It's pretty much why I'm as close to Shay'na as I am to Grace. I mean, the three of us shared a room until we were six! After that, we were all pretty inseparable.

Uncle Teal'c visited every weekend and worked through the politics of the new Jaffa Nation, which later led to a democratic nation. He didn't see the true fruits of his labor until we were in middle school, which was about the time when Mom told him that he'd better make a choice: His kids or his politics. Uncle Teal'c thankfully chose Shay and Nik, but Mom and Dad always knew he would. According to Dad, Aunt Vala had the same talk with Uncle Cameron. While he made the same decision, he refuses to tell us what she said.

"Jacob!"

Snapping back to the present, I turned to the voice who was shouting my name. Unsurprisingly, it was hard to tell. Standing in front of me were Grace, Rachel, Shay'na and Delia – each with varying forms of annoyance plastered on her face. It looked like they'd been trying to get my attention for a while.

I grinned at the picture standing before me and shoved my hands in my pockets. "Sorry. What's up, guys?"

I watched as Rachel, Shay'na and Delia all turned to Grace for the answer on this one. Grace looked anything but pleased.

"We have approximately 45 minutes to eat, finish packing, and get down to the Gateroom before Mom skins us alive," Grace responded, as she characteristically placed a hand on her hip. "Seeing as how you haven't even started packing, I thought it might be a good idea if you get to it."

"Me? Oh, I have time," I said, waving the women of my life off with a shrug. "I've got plenty of time."

"What about lunch?" Rachel asked. "You're not gonna eat before you go through the Stargate?"

"Which, might I add, is a bad idea," Grace chimed in. Her knowing look reminded me of the story of Mom's first time through the Gate. Not cool.

"Though we can always bring something to your room," Shay suggested. "We're all packed anyway."

"Hmmm, that's true," Rachel agreed with a nod.

"Now how is he going to learn if we do that?" Grace asked the others. I rolled my eyes. I should have been used to this kind of coddling, but I really wasn't. I'd been _blessed_ me with two biological sisters and four adopted ones.

"He won't learn a thing," Delia muttered with a grin as she walked past me and patted me on the back. "I'll see you guys in 40!"

I chuckled and turned back to the matter at hand. It turned out, the matter – or matters – were currently walking away, gabbing about… something. "Hey!" I called as I chased after them. "What's going on?"

"We decided that you're a big boy and can get your own meals," Grace called back with a cheeky grin. "See you in 42 minutes and counting!"

I stopped in my tracks and frowned.

Hmmph. The nerve.


	4. Chapter 2: Brandon Sheppard

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

**

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**

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**Brandon Sheppard – Atlantis**_

"Ah, come on, Mom!"

This was ridiculous!

"Brandon!"

"Mom! What the heck?!"

Yep, Mom was getting ticked, I could tell by the tone of her voice. On my right, my best friend, Caleb McKay, shrank in his seat. Ada was doodling nervously and Alex was fidgeting like a five-year-old. Asher was the only one who didn't seem bothered by the atmosphere of the briefing room, though he did keep glancing from Mel to Mom. Mel was shooting me serious warning looks from the other side of the table, which I refused to heed.

"Mom, why? You think we wanna spend the next three weeks with some green SGC officers' kids? They've probably never even seen the Stargate before!"

"Actually, Brandon," Mom began, "every one of those kids who will be walking through the Stargate this evening has seen it before. In fact, they've known about it all of their lives."

"Really?" This made Melissa sit up straight, obviously intrigued. "So, the SGC has a group of kids on base like they do here?"

"Not quite, Mel," Mom said with a shake of her head. "These kids' parents all have special clearance. Not all of the kids, whose parents work at the SGC, know about the Gate."

"They're the only ones, guys," Dad piped up from the back.

"Why is that?" Alex asked.

Mom grinned and shot Dad a look, essentially giving him the honors. "Well… when your parents are Generals O'Neill, Carter and Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Ambassadors Teal'c and Vala Mal Duran, people tend to tell you what you want to know." His smug grin almost killed me and I had to seriously keep myself from rolling my eyes. I could tell that McKay was smirking at his dad for reasons unbeknownst to me. Melissa was grinning from ear to ear, and Ada and Alex were no longer looking for an exit. The room had considerably cooled off - in a positive way. This was definitely an interesting, new development.

"How many will be coming?" Ash inquired, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

"Ten," Mom answered quickly.

"Where will they be staying?" Ada asked. "Do we even have room for them?"

"This is the part where they stage a coup," Uncle Rodney stage-whispered into Aunt Teyla's ear. I made eye contact with Dad as he rolled his eyes and sighed. I frowned. What the hell was a coup?

"That's where you kids come in, actually," Mom continued, without missing a beat. "The guys are the easiest to get in order, however - "

"Wait, they're gonna be rooming with us, too?" I demanded louder than I intended.

Mom stopped just long enough to give me The Look, before she quickly continued. "However, the girls aren't going to be so easy. Brandon, you'll be sharing a room with Jake O'Neill. Caleb, you'll be sharing a room with Shawn Mitchell. Both Jake and Shawn are your age, guys."

"Great," McKay muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "so I'm gonna be surrounded by Generals' sons for the next three weeks. Fantastic."

"Hey, it could be worse," Dad replied. "You could be the son of an arrogant astrophysicist … Oh wait."

That got way more laughter than it probably should have, but it was great to see McKay Senior and Junior make the same indignant face. I've always been willing to pay good money to see that.

"OK, OK," Mom yelled above the din with a smug smile. "Alex? You're going to be rooming with Matt Jackson. He's also your age."

"Good luck," Uncle Ronon called from the back. "I heard he has roaming hands."

I watched in amusement as Alex's eyes got wide and he swallowed hard. "He – he - he what? What does he have now?"

"He has a stealing problem, Alex," Ada clarified. "And from the look on your face, all of your possessions will be gone by the end of the day."

"Ronon's talking about a past issue," Dad clarified.

"Yes. He's been working on it for some time now," Mom assured, shooting Ronon a look. "I'm sure his parents have already told him what time it is."

"Hey, hey," Ronon countered, his hands in the air in mock defense, "I'm not saying he's not a great guy. It's just… You know, 'Once a thief, always a thief.'"

"Well thank you for that lovely sentiment, Ronon," Uncle Rodney replied. "Now we all know to lock up the fine china."

Uncle Ronon shrugged and grinned impishly. "It couldn't hurt, Rodney Boy."

"Is anyone staying with me?" Asher asked from his seat next to Melissa.

"Yes, Ash," Mom answered. "Nik, Teal'c's son, is your age."

Ash turned to his dad, almost as if he needed reassurance. Uncle Ronon's smile and nod was almost imperceptible to someone who didn't know him. However, after 17 years of living with these people, it's easy to spot the simplest of expressions. Uncle Ronon was giving him the thumbs up in his own way, allaying any concerns Ash might've had.

Family. It's an interesting concept, really. Everyone on Atlantis is family in the corny general sense, but this particular group was a bit more exclusive. My twin sister, Melissa, and I were the oldest. Caleb McKay (born to Rodney and Lillian McKay), our all-knowing super genius, came soon after that.

A year later, Radek and Susan Zelenka welcomed Ada to the world, beginning the second generation of McKay sidekicks. Alex Beckett, my favorite worrier, came six months after that to Uncle Carson and Aunt Lynn. And almost two years to the day after that, Aunt Teyla and Uncle Ronon had Asher, our resident weapons specialist. Seriously, he knows all things explosive and lethal, and he's rarely afraid to use it.

We had a tight-knit group. We tried to include everybody - you know, all of the other kids in the City - but it never seemed to work out. We always seemed to be in our own little world. I mean, we could literally finish each other's sentences sometimes, and that was a little disturbing for our peers.

But it had always just been the six of us. Atlantis had hundreds of people now, but we were close mainly because our parents had worked together and befriended each other for years. My dad, General John Sheppard and my mom, Commander Elizabeth Weir, headed the Atlantis base in the Pegasus Galaxy, and had for over 20 years. Through this expedition, the Atlantis teams had managed to wipe out the Wraith, a species that had plagued this galaxy for centuries. Now, years later, Atlantis and the SGC were exploratory bases. But Atlantis was always home, and I really had no desire to visit Earth. I'd heard stories, and I'd read books, but I'd never been. Anyway, this was it. This was home.

"What about us?" Melissa was asking as I snapped out of my thoughts. "There are going to be girls here, right?"

"Oh, as if you care," Uncle Rodney, Caleb, Dad and I said simultaneously, earning us a rather dark look from every female in the room. It was pretty frightening, actually. I'd forgotten how effective those looks could be.

"That's where it gets tricky," Mom said, as her eyebrow rose and fell in our general direction. I winced unconsciously and straightened in my seat. Mom was a dangerous player when pushed to the edge. "Rachel Jackson, Shay'na – Ambassador Teal'c's daughter – and Grace O'Neill will all be coming. They're all your age, and as you might have guessed, that's bound to be too tight in your room."

"Well, I would, of course, be happy to help out in anyway I can, Aunt Liz," Caleb said as earnestly as he could muster.

"Thank you, Caleb, but that won't be necessary this time," Mom responded with a hint of annoyance. I snickered. Leave it to a McKay to take it one step too far. "Instead, I'll have Grace O'Neill room with you, Mel. Shay'na and Rachel will take one of the spare quarters down the hall. Jennie Jackson and Hannah O'Neill will take the quarters adjacent to theirs. Ada, you will be rooming with Delia Mitchell. She's about your age, and from what I hear from General Carter, she's extremely nice. You guys have about an hour to prepare your rooms, but other than that, it'll be rather low-key. All of us will join the SGC guests for dinner, and then we'll go from there. OK?"

A chorus of replies was Mom's response.

I think we were still a little perturbed by this news. It wasn't in the middle of the school year (Atlantis correlated all of our schedules to Earth-SGC Standard Time, no matter what the season), and we really didn't have anything to do. I just had a bad feeling about this whole thing. The SGCers sounded like fun, but something was wrong. There was something that wasn't being said. I could see it in the look in Mom's eye and the set of Dad's jaw. Aunt Teyla had been silent, which wasn't completely unusual, but something was brewing behind her serious eyes. Uncle Ronon had been the one to lay on the sarcasm, whereas Uncle Rodney had been uncharacteristically respectful of Mom. Like I said, after years of living with the people whom we considered family, it was easy to pick apart the minute facial expressions and body language. Now all I needed to do was figure out what the heck was going on.


	5. Chapter 3: Grace O'Neill

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**_Grace O'Neill - Earth_**

Notebooks.

Check.

Textbooks.

Check.

Travel tools.

Check.

"Hey, I thought I said the limit's three bags," a familiar voice said from the doorway of my base quarters. I looked up with a knowing grin and shrugged.

"Someone very wise once told me that a girl's always got to be prepared," I said as I zipped up my bag.

"Well that person must've been very wise, indeed. But perhaps she lived life a little too prepared."

Nervously, I watched as Mom sat down on the bed. She was supposedly taking inventory of what I was packing, but I could tell that something was on her mind. "Mom?"

"Yeah, Grace?"

"What's wrong?" I forged on. The only way I was going to get answers from Mom was if I took a page from Dad and Jake's book, and grabbed the bull by the horns.

"Nothing's wrong, Grace," Mom replied as I sat down next to her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I repeated. Her eyes were betraying her, as they always did. I knew because I had the same problem.

"Honey, your father and I just thought that this would be a great opportunity for you guys," she explained. "None of you have plans for the summer – except Jake, of course, but those were shot… You'd finally get to go off-world, to a planet that we know is protected and safe."

"I'm not complaining about going off-world, Mom, don't get me wrong," I clarified. "I just get the feeling that there's something you guys aren't telling us. Something that we're missing, maybe?"

Mom grinned and looked me up and down before chuckling to herself. "Yeah, well you wouldn't be my daughter, if you didn't think too much. Look, everything's fine. We have faith in you guys. We want the best for all of you. Don't think we ignore your eagerness to be a part of the SGC. We see it, and we want you to have a bright future - together. And we really think this is the best way to make sure you get it."

I nodded in understanding, silently berating myself for reading more into the situation than there was. Of course they wanted to allow us the experience! Mom may not have wanted us to be a part of the SGC, but she certainly wasn't going to shelter us from it. And the same went for Shay and Nik.

"Come on, Gracie," Mom said with a sigh as she stood up. "Let's get this show on the road. I believe you have a wormhole to catch."

By the time I got to the Gateroom, the wormhole had been established and the Control Room was packed. Uncle Cameron, Uncle Daniel and Aunt Vala stood on one side of Major Davis, while Mom and Uncle Teal'c stood on the other. Dad's absence from such an event was painfully palpable, but he was in D.C. for business, and was unable to attend. I tried not to let it get to me, but the feeling was still there, dwelling between the pit of my stomach and the middle of my chest. Up there, where our parents thought their facial expressions would be somewhat shielded, they allowed the walls to fall. The looks on their faces were a mixture of anticipation and fear, and once more I questioned the reasons behind this trip. Something was off.

I turned to the others, to see if anyone else was getting the same vibe. Sure enough, we were all staring at the Control Room. We were all getting that feeling.

"You have a go, kids," Mom said into the mic.

"Take care," Uncle Daniel said soon after.

"Behave!" Uncle Cameron ordered flatly.

"Yeah. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Aunt Vala added.

Uncle Teal'c took the mic immediately after that and intoned, "Be sure to protect each other."

On that note, five of the most important people in our lives stood back and looked on, their faces grim.

"Somehow, I thought that my first trip through the Gate would be a more joyous occasion," Matt muttered from the back of the group.

"Definitely," Jennie agreed with a resolute nod.

"Something's wrong," Hannah said needlessly.

"Something huge," Nik added with a frown.

"What do you think it is?" Delia asked, turning to the rest of us. A shared silent glance with Rachel, Shay'na, Shawn and Jake was all I needed to know that I wasn't wrong. Wisely, Jake opted to shut the conversation down first.

"They probably just wish they could go with," Jake suggested, turning back to the Gate and walking forward.

"Yeah, it is our first time after all," Shawn added as he headed towards the packed MALP with the large remote in hand. "It's kinda like baby's first steps. Now, come on. Let's get this puppy outta here."

"Yeah, well something's up," Matt replied, his long, dark hair falling in front of his eyes. "And I want to know what it is."

"Relax, Jackson," Shawn ordered, his focus on the remote.

"Yeah," Jake added. "Think of it as… summer camp."


	6. Chapter 4: Melissa Sheppard

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

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**CHAPTER FOUR**

_**Melissa Sheppard – Atlantis**_

Where the heck was he? The SGC kids were due to arrive any minute now, and Brandon was off hiding out. I didn't know what his deal was, but I was getting pretty sick and tired of his shenanigans.

"Brandon!" I called as I turned the corner to the Teen Dwelling Area. "Brandon!"

"Are you looking for your brother?" Aunt Teyla asked as she approached with Uncle Rodney.

"Yeah! Have you seen him?"

"He's, uh, in the, uh, Game Room," Uncle Rodney answered, looking pretty guilty. "I don't know what happened, but someone made him pretty mad."

"You can blame his foul mood on Rodney," Aunt Teyla assured as she shot him an annoyed look, before turning back to me. "We'll be in the Gate Room."

"Thanks." Quickly, I retraced their steps and found Brandon, sitting on a bean bag chair, playing some kind of game on the Atlantis consoles.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded. "The SGC kids will be here in," I checked my watch, "ten minutes, and you're in the Heart of the City, playing a video game?"

Brandon didn't respond, which was to be expected. As a twin, I had a heightened awareness of his moods. It kinda came with the territory. As a result, I knew which buttons to push and when, if I ever wanted to get him fiery mad. Unfortunately, the awareness kinda works both ways. I wasn't in the mood for a shouting match. So, ever the diplomat, I tried a different tactic.

"So," I began slowly, "what's going on with Mom and Dad?"

I saw Brandon twitch ever so slightly, but he continued to play.

"Did you hear - "

"I know what you're doing Melissa," he interrupted. "And, before you ask, yes I noticed that Mom and Dad and everyone else have been obnoxiously tense; no, I don't know what's going on; yes, it's bothering me, too; no, I don't know how to get the answers we want." With that, he turned around and faced me, his eyes ablaze. "And, according to Uncle Rodney, whatever happens on Atlantis is none of our concern."

I couldn't help but gasp. "He said that?"

"Well, not in so many words." Brandon groaned in annoyance and shut off the game. "I'm just sick of all the bull - "

"Listen, Brandon. You know how Mom and Dad are. If you give them some time, they'll inevitably tip their hand. Just be patient."

"Aw, you know me and patience, Sis," he quipped as he stood up to his full height. "We don't exactly always see eye-to-eye."

I grinned at his antics and shrugged. "Neither do you and Dad. But you make it work. Let's go now, before Mom sends an angry search party after us."

"Oh, of course. I definitely don't want to come off as a snob to our guests from Earth."

"The SGC," I corrected unconsciously.

"What?"

"Our guests from the SGC."

"Huh?"

"You said, 'Earth,'" I explained.

Brandon frowned. "Oh. Well, same difference. That's what I meant, anyway."

"You really have a thing against Earth, don't you?" I teased.

"No, I just think it's overrated. We were raised on two Atlantis bases all of our lives, and we turned out just fine."

"What, do you think the kids from the SGC will think otherwise?"

"I don't know what I think, but I can't shake this feeling that I've met them before." He turned to me then, most likely to gage my reaction. I hadn't realized it before, but I too had been getting that feeling of déjà vu, like this occurrence wasn't the first. "Weird, eh?"

All I could do was nod.

"Come on, Mel," Brandon joked with a nudge, "you're holding us up!"

I just chuckled and rolled my eyes at his immaturity. "I'll be sure to explain why Aunt Teyla's story contradicts yours, Brandon."

"Why, thank you."

Yep. It was nice to pretend like we weren't feeling cornered, but that's all it was. Pretend.

We really had no idea what we were up against.


	7. Chapter 5: Shay'na

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head, so here it is.

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_**Shay'na – Atlantis**_

Earlier that morning, Grace had explained what going through the Stargate would feel like from a scientific perspective. She had explained what would happen to our bodies, what we should expect to happen in transit. She reminded us that our bodies would probably react differently, depending on our unique body chemistry. However, she said that any shock we may experience would pass.

Grace, like the rest of us, had no idea how we would feel or what we would think during that fateful ride. No clinical explanation in this galaxy could properly describe the feelings of going through the Stargate for the first time. It was terrifying, yet exhilarating. It felt like it went on for hours, when in reality the trip was barely ten seconds. It was a beautiful experience, yet it still did not compare to the view from Atlantis.

We had been on the base for nearly five minutes, when I happened to look past the crowd and out a large window nearby. The view was amazing. I could not tell if the sun was rising or falling, but the colors in the cloudless sky and the open sea before us were breathtaking.

When I was five years old, the O'Neill family took a trip to California. While I had always been on the yearly camping and fishing trips, this vacation was new for all of us. Samantha and Jack – whom I considered to be my kinlas, or aunt and uncle - had catered this trip specifically to showing all of us the ocean for the first time. They made quite a big deal about it, and even went so far as to give me the option of picking the beach we would be visiting. I remembered feeling honored and more than a little guilty that Samantha had left such a choice up to me, rather than her own children. But when I announced my choice, they beamed as if they had come up with it themselves. That was neither the first nor the last time I was reminded of how lucky – and loved – I was.

I remember that summer being especially eventful, because it was the summer before I started elementary school in Colorado Springs with Jacob and Grace. My father had been busy with the Jaffa Nation at that time, and his life had been threatened over the course of several months. This was the O'Neills' way of keeping my mind off of the issues over which I had no control. Between the O'Neills, the Mitchells and the Jacksons, Niko and I need no other family when our father is away.

I will always hold a special place in my heart for Laguna Beach. And Jacob has promised to plan a trip there again in the future.

In that moment on Atlantis' terrace, I feared that all of my wonderful memories of California would be dashed. Nothing on Earth could compare to such splendor. And I would have stayed there for a lot longer, had Jacob and two other young men not come over to interrupt.

"You're awfully quiet!" Jake called with a grin as they approached. "Everyone's already been down to their rooms and back again! But, since you're checking out the view, I think I understand."

I turned to Jacob and the two strangers beside him, and nodded. "It's beautiful."

"You should see it on Atlantis' Independence Day," the taller of the two young men quipped. "Now that's beautiful."

I smiled at his humor, having lived with it all of my life.

"Shay, this witty guy is Brandon Sheppard. Brandon, this is Shay."

I took Brandon's proffered hand and smiled. He seemed warm and nice, if not a bit rough around the edges, like Jacob. The two seemed to be sizing the other up, but I assumed this behavior was normal. Three years in Earth high school and twelve years total in Earth public schools gave me enough experience in such matters.

"Nice to meet you," Brandon said with a grin. "I'd introduce you to McKay, but he doesn't seem to be on this planet right now."

I glanced at Jacob for clarification, but he was staring at the second boy with a look in his eye that I'd seen many times before. I followed both his and Brandon's gaze to the second one, only to find that he was staring at me. And he seemed to have no qualms and no shame about doing so. Jacob cleared his throat and Brandon Sheppard nudged him roughly, but both actions seemed to be in vain.

"Nice to meet you," I said nervously.

"It's uh… uh…" The one apparently named McKay was at a loss for words. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't deny that the look on his face was rather endearing, if not completely comical.

"Shay'na, this is Caleb McKay," Brandon finally said, his eyebrows raised. "You'll have to excuse his primeval behavior, as he doesn't get out all that much."

"It's very nice to meet you, Caleb," I said as I shook his limp, moist hand. Suppressing a look of mild discomfort, I turned to Jacob and found him eyeing me knowingly. I couldn't even imagine what he was thinking, but I knew that it was most likely not good. Jacob had an uncanny way of fulfilling the role Ry'ac would have had if he and I had been closer in age. I trusted Jacob with my life; my father trusted Jacob with my honor. And my love life.

"It's, uh… Nice to meet you, too!" Caleb finally exploded, causing all of us to jump at his outburst.

"Dinner's in fifteen," Jacob said with another roll of his eyes. "You might want to get your bags to your room before then, if you can."

"It's easy to get lost here," Brandon added. "After dark, the City gets even more confusing – if that's possible."

"Oh, of course, I -"

"I can take your bags for you!" Caleb suddenly shouted, causing me to jump again. And with that, before even waiting for a response, Caleb literally dove for the three bags at my feet without batting an eye. I blinked in astonishment, before I turned back to Jacob and Brandon.

"Well," Jacob casually began with a shrug, "let's get those bags to your room then."

"No, no, it's OK," Caleb said, his voice barely discernible through the bags that were piled up to his forehead. "I've got it. You guys go on and get to the Dining Hall. You can tell them where we are."

"Are you sure?" Jacob looked skeptical, which made me smile. Jacob was the best big brother anyone could ask for. But I really was fine. "Because we could ALL totally help you," he insisted.

"No, no! I insist!" Caleb cried. "Please, go on. Let them know where we've gone. I've got a handle on… everything… Don't worry!"

"Yes, don't worry, Jacob," I agreed with a smile.

"I don't worry about YOUR sense of direction, Shay," Jake responded as he jabbed a thumb at Caleb. "It's this guy who wigs me out." Such a statement elicited a surprised smirk from Brandon.

"Hey!" Caleb shrieked. "I know my way around the City like the back of my hand!"

"OK, McKay," Brandon said finally. "Prove it." There was something in his eyes that seemed a little off. Jacob didn't seem to understand it either.

"OK!" Caleb indignantly cried, then more quietly he asked, "Or what?"

"That's for us to know and you to… find out," Brandon explained. "I'd have you wager, but that may take all night."

"OK!" Caleb cried, his voice raising an octave. "OK! I can prove that I'm a man of my word. You'll see! Give me three days!"

I couldn't help but feel like I was a clueless spectator in a very interesting chess game.

I watched as Caleb McKay struggled with my bags, but made every effort to carry them himself, and I wondered if maybe there was more to him than met the eye.


	8. Chapter 6: Caleb McKay

**CHAPTER SIX**

_**Caleb McKay - Atlantis**_

My palms were sweaty, and I could feel her bags slipping from my hands. My forearms and fingers were straining for control over the luggage, but I refused to give in. I could make it, I thought, I could make it. After we got to the elevator, it was pretty much a struggle to get one foot in front of the other. I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna make it.

I had images of her bags flying everywhere, with her clothes tumbling out in a heap. I pictured her slapping me. Hard.

Then my mind retraced its steps to the clothes, and instantly went to undergarments, which reminded me that vinyl was the only thing keeping me from touching her underwear.

Oh, Sweet Merciful -

"Are you alright?" Shay'na asked from my side.

"Yeah!" I squeaked as my knees almost buckled at the sound of her voice. "Why do you ask?"

"You just tripped back there, and your breathing became labored."

I nearly tripped again when she placed a hand on my bicep and took a bag from the top. Aahhh, sweet relief! She must've been reading my mind, or I was more transparent than I thought. I turned to her in gratitude and the smile she gave me almost made me melt right there. Oh man, oh man, oh man….

OK, so I'm a bit smitten by her, I thought. So what?

"So, Caleb McKay," she said quietly, "what do you do for fun on Atlantis?"

"I, uh, analyze various experiments that have already been conducted by the Atlantis Research and Development Staff. They're typically experiments that've been placed on the back burner, or they've been slated for later study."

"So you're a scientist," Shay'na inquired.

"Yes."

There was nothing nerdy about that, was there?

Ah crap, who was I kidding?

"Are you the youngest scientist on staff?" Shay'na asked.

"Me? Oh, I'm not on staff. Uh, Aunt Liz just lets me do that so I don't, uh, blow up anything… else. It's something 'constructive,' that I've been doing since I was about 10. That's not to say that I'm the only one who's expressed an interest in the field, it's just that Aunt Liz, Uncle John and my dad have a pretty strong friendship. Aunt Liz can barely control Dad, so she has a tough time controlling me. It's just one of those things that, uh, comes with the twisted relationship that is… ours. Yeah. Anyway, there are a bunch of other wannabe scientists out there, who just can't take the heat when it comes to working with my dad. Obviously, I can, because… well, he's my dad. He's used to high expectations, so he places these expectations on all of the wannabes out there. They can't hack it. I, on the other hand, am used to the concept of coming up with quick-fix answers out of thin air…"

Oh crap!

If I could've smacked my head, I would have. Was I just babbling? I replayed everything that I'd just said and instantly came to the conclusion that YES, I HAD JUST BABBLED INCOHERENTLY FOR A WHOLE MINUTE!

I turned back to the poor girl, and found her staring at me with an odd look on her face.

"Uh… I'm sorry. I don't normally babble like that. OK, to be honest, I babble like this all the time, but I promise that it's typically for a good reason. Like when I'm working with Brandon, who wants answers in five seconds or less. It also happens when I'm with my dad, who always knows the answers before I can formulate a sentence in my mind. I don't MEAN to babble, but I do. I… My god! I'm doing it again!"

I turned to her again, afraid to find her rearing back for the punch I so desperately deserved. Instead, she had the same odd look on her face, only this time she was grinning a bit. Rather smugly, if you asked me.

"What?" I demanded, fearing the worst.

"The more you speak, the more attractive I find you, and that is very disturbing," she deadpanned.

"Why?" I asked. I had to know, despite the fact that my ego was soaring.

"Because I've heard of your kind," Shay'na said simply.

I frowned at the flippancy of her comment and my ego began to plummet. What?! "My KIND?"

"Your father is Rodney McKay, isn't he?" Shay'na asked, the smug smile back on her face.

"Oh yeah… About that… I'm nothing like my father."

The incredulous look she gave me said she believed otherwise, and damn if I wasn't likely to kiss her right then and there.

"OK, as you've probably already figured, I am my father's son," I admitted. "In every sense of the word. I'm his clone, his… mini-me, if you will."

"I never took you for a fan of classic movies," Shay'na countered softly.

It was my turn to grin. And it felt really good – probably better than it should have.

The urge to kiss her came back and I wasn't sure if it was my hormones or just the fact that I was head-over-heels for this beautifully tolerant girl. Never let it be said that a McKay doesn't lust passionately.

I looked up and found that we were in the Heart of the City, where the Teen Dwelling Areas are. She looked like she had come to the same conclusion. Normally, I wouldn't describe such a moment as magical. McKays aren't romantics. But, there, standing under the dim lights of the Section A Dwellings, I really felt something inside flutter.

"I think," I said softly, "that this is your room -"

I barely had the words out of my mouth before her lips were gently placed there to replace them.

Beneath my feet, I could feel my world tilt.

This is what it's like to feel out of control.


	9. Chapter 7: Rachel Jackson

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_**Rachel Jackson – Atlantis**_

Three days.

We'd all been on base for three days, and still hadn't managed to bond with the teens from Atlantis. They seemed nice enough, but for some reason, we always managed to stay in our little cliques. It was comfortable, sure. It just didn't seem right. The other teens on Atlantis didn't seem to hang out with that crowd either, which seemed a bit odd. Were they THAT untouchable?

Hmmm… Going through the history that Shay, Grace, Jake, Shawn and I had together… I guess we kinda behaved that way as well. It was then and there that I decided we'd have to fix our relationship. Grace had said that Melissa was nice, but I hadn't even had a conversation with the girl. These kids were bright. We could learn so much from them!

I walked into the commissary with a new determination to learn more about Atlantis. I was sure that Grace would agree with me. Searching through the mess hall for our group, I found the longest table in the middle of the room, but no group. The line was short, and I did see some of our kids so I hopped in, hoping to grab something good before it got much later. I never thought I'd say this, but the SGC meals sounded pretty good. Atlantis "cuisine" was a nice experience, but it couldn't beat the SGC macaroni or Jello on a good day.

I glanced up front and spotted Jake and Grace ahead of me in line. Jake was just standing, occasionally saying something to Grace, but seemed pretty silent, still cautious. His pigheadedness was the main reason why we hadn't been able to bond with the other group. That was so like him, it was frustrating. Yet… I couldn't deny that it was something I'd learned to rely upon: His unwavering desire to protect all of us from pain. Shawn and Jake were great protectors. I mean, we didn't NEED it or anything, but it was nice to have on our side. Grace and Shay tended to agree.

And Jake, as always, did things to my heart that were becoming pretty difficult to deny.

With food in hand, I ran to catch up with Grace and Jake when I saw Shay'na enter the room, deep in conversation with one of the other Atlanteans. For the life of me, I couldn't remember his name. He was pretty obnoxious, though.

"Hey Rach," Grace greeted me.

"Hey." I grinned and followed Jake's gaze to the door.

"Oh crap," Jake muttered under his breath as he forged on towards our table.

"What do you mean, Jake?" Grace asked as we caught up to him. Across the room, Shay and the guy were getting in line. Both were laughing. And smiling. Dreamily.

"Uh oh," I said. Jake nodded in my direction affirmatively and rolled his eyes.

"That guy, McKay… Keep an eye on him," he ordered. Grace shot me a look, the realization dawning. She was grinning knowingly. Yep, Jake was in Big Brother Mode. It was all I could do not to laugh.

Jake was already on his way back to the table, his back to us. But he still knew. "Stop laughing," he ordered again.

Oh man. This McKay guy was definitely in for it.

There was one table that seemed to be The Table. The younger kids were already sitting there, literally opposite the kids from Atlantis, with Brandon and his sister, Melissa, sitting near the far end. The younger ones from both bases were seated in no particular order from there. But it was clear that all of the attention was on Brandon and Jake. Jake, uncaring of what was going on, sat down directly opposite Brandon, and I sat down to his right, next to Shawn. Grace sat down on Jake's left, leaving two seats left on our side of the table. Clearly, Brandon Sheppard was engaging us in some kind of standoff – or… sit… off… Whatever.

Jake seemed to be rising to the challenge though. He was eating, but his eyes never left Brandon's.

"So, how's it going?" I asked loudly over the noise of the cafeteria.

No one responded.

I caught the glance of Melissa, and could see that she was smiling a bit. Was this normal?

"Uh, what's going on?" Delia called from down the table on my right. "You guys were just laughing and joking less than an hour ago!"

"It looks like a game," Matt replied. "Like, you know, to see who has the biggest - "

"Hey guys!" McKay called from our end of the table. "How's it going?"

The poor guy apparently didn't know what he was doing. Though the table was clearly divided, the poor, smitten dork sat down right next to Shay'na, who had wisely sat down next to Grace. The table went eerily silent. No one moved. Brandon and Jake barely twitched.

"You'll never cease to amaze me, McKay," Brandon stated, his eyes never leaving Jake's.

"What?" he demanded, his mouth already full of food. "What did I do?"

"Apparently there's assigned seating," Hannah quipped.

"Perhaps it's alphabetical?" Nik added.

"Or, better yet, it's based on seniority," Matt suggested.

"That sounds about right," Delia agreed.

"What?" McKay asked again, as he searched the faces of everyone at the table. "I don't see what's wrong!"

"You're on the wrong side, apparently," Grace said quietly. "I don't know why."

"Why?" McKay challenged Brandon. "Why is the table like this?"

"McKay?"

That simple word had the guy standing up angrily, his eyes now on Shay (much to Jake's dismay), as he moved around the table and sat down on Brandon's right, just a seat away from being directly across from her. I chuckled to myself. So… this was how it was gonna be? Us vs. Them? Hmmph.

Suddenly, Brandon glanced at everyone sitting at the table. His gaze finally landed on Jake.

"I can't help but feel like we're a bit outnumbered here," he said by way of explanation. We all looked around the table. OK, so we definitely outnumbered them, but only by a few.

"Well," Jake responded in kind, "never let it be said that anyone from the SGC does anything half-assed."

Such a statement like that should not have had me giggling, but it did. Jake had a way of saying things that were just so true and telling and yet… incredibly funny. I looked up and realized that I was the only one giggling. Great.

Brandon looked from me back to Jake and shrugged.

"It's not that Atlanteans do things half-assed. We just have limited resources. As does Earth, as I understand it."

"Yeah, well, we're surviving," Jake replied.

"As are we," Brandon retorted.

"No one's disputing that," Jake shot back.

"Look," Grace said suddenly, "as hilarious as it would be for you two to engage in some kind of intergalactic pissing contest, I think it'd be best if we made something quite clear. I think I speak for all of us from the SGC when I say that we admire you all for living here. Atlantis is beautiful and amazing, but it's had some hardships. You have faced some incredible adversity. But you've come out of it alive and well."

"There's a lot we could all learn from each other," Shawn added. "I, for one, would love to learn about Atlantis' history and your culture. We're ALL a part of the future here."

"We are the future leaders of these programs," Melissa agreed. "I'd love to learn as much as I can about Earth."

"Definitely," one of the younger Atlantean kids, Alex, chimed in.

"We've got three weeks to do it," I said. "Let's try to utilize the time as much as we can to open our minds to different lifestyles."

"That IS why we were sent here, after all," Grace reminded us.

Everyone nodded. Even Jake and Brandon. OK, so this was gonna be OK. We were gonna be OK!

Across the table, another young kid, Ash, reached into his pocket.

"There's so much to explore!" I exclaimed, as I looked around the cafeteria at the architecture. All of a sudden, I saw something glistening on Alex and pointed. "Oh, look. Colorful stones!"

All eyes were on Ash's hands, which were filled with several colorful stones, all the same size and shape. He was grinning mischievously and his friends were all looking on with anticipation. Was I missing something?

"Oh yeah," Brandon said with a nonchalant shrug. "In case you were all wondering what the Hell's going on with our parents… There's something we thought you should see."


	10. Chapter 8: Shawn Mitchell

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head for a year now, so here it is.

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_**Shawn Mitchell - Atlantis** _

This was a bad idea. I knew it.

As soon as Brandon made that announcement, our appetites fled.

We were a bunch of curious beggars with nothing else to do but cause trouble.

This is why we were all trespassing on famously forbidden grounds of the City, with nothing more than flashlights at our disposal.

Our parents were crazy, so we had to be crazy. too.

I didn't think that sneaking sixteen people below onto the Forbidden Levels would be so easy. We were with experienced travelers, of course, but it still seemed WAY too easy. Asher Dex, one of the younger kids, had found the colored stones during one of their escapades. They had found books that spoke of 20 stones leading to a room where "the future would be secured" and "the quest would be restored." In the room there was an encrypted message in Ancient text. Melissa had managed to translate quite a bit of the message, however it looked to be in some kind of code that needed to be analyzed.

Enter… us.

We'd all smuggled our backpacks along. They were no longer stuffed with t-shirts and toiletries, but with flashlights, rope, first aid kits, rations and some kind of Atlantean flares. There were handheld walkie-talkies that were bulkier than we were used to, but the easiest ones we could find.

Unconsciously, I growled at the situation. Barely 72 hours in the damn galaxy and we were already messing with hidden passages and Ancient text. My dad was gonna kill me. I trusted Jake with my life, but I was beginning to wonder what his motives were for following Brandon into this mess. They'd been playing the Alpha Male game for a couple of days now, ever since Brandon had made a comment about leadership.

He should've known it was a bad idea, and maybe he did. Maybe he was itching for a challenge. If so, he was more like Jake than any of us could've ever imagined.

"Come on, Shawn," Delia muttered at my side. "Don't be such a worrier."

"Yeah," McKay chimed in with a chuckle, "that's Alex's job."

"It's not too much farther now," Brandon told the group.

"So, let me get this straight," Grace said from ahead. "You guys explore the City on a regular basis… and you never get caught?"

"We've come close," Melissa admitted.

"Many times," Asher agreed. "But somehow, we always escape detection."

"It's extremely dangerous," Alex stated. "If we were to get caught… it wouldn't be pretty."

"This last time was especially close," Brandon told Grace. "It turns out that these levels are closely monitored. We expected only our energy signatures to be detected, but McKay always takes care of that for us. However, it turns out that the Forbidden Levels responded to those carrying the Ancient gene."

"Which one of you carries it?" Rachel asked.

"Both Brandon and I have it, but Brandon's control over it is much stronger than mine," Melissa answered.

"Same here," Grace lamented. "What's up with that?"

"I don't know, but it gets pretty annoying," Melissa complained.

"Yeah, yeah," Brandon muttered, "God gave you genius genes and gave us dead, alien genes. Which would you rather have?" Grace and Melissa looked pretty torn at having to choose.

Suddenly, he came to a stop, right in front of a large, aqua blue door.

"Is this the room?" Nik asked.

"One of many," Alex answered. "This is just the beginning."

"OK, someone better explain some things right now!" Jake cried. "We're not walking into your guys' idea of a practical joke, so you'd better make this story credible, or we're walking."

I couldn't help but agree. Still, I doubted that Jake would make good on that threat.

"Here's the deal," Brandon stated with a sigh. "Ash found the stones in a completely different part of Atlantis. They were located in a box that had Ancient writing all over it. Mel translated it and McKay determined that it wasn't dangerous. Neither were the stones. However, the box led us to a book in what's become Atlantis' library."

"It's a room that's got thousands and thousands of books that cover both Atlantis' history and Earth's," Melissa explained. "Ash and I found that the book the box described is called 'The Book of Knowledge.''

"How original," Matt quipped.

"Yeah, we thought the same thing," Ash agreed. "It was thousands of years old, but it had predictions for the future – our present. It told the story of explorers from another galaxy coming to Atlantis and making it their permanent home. It then told the story of the new generations who would come to call Atlantis home as well. This new generation would not be like its predecessors, but would go on to accomplish even more amazing things. One story told of hundreds of cultures being united through the actions of these 'young ones.'"

"Then it talked about levels that would be forbidden. It said that none of the residents would be allowed access based on stories they'd heard from long ago," McKay said.

"Those stories were told to our parents before we were born," Melissa elaborated. "Citizens of another planet, who called themselves Assurans, were familiar with the Ancients and said that we must never go past a certain level on Atlantis."

"But Atlantis is huge," Jake replied. "Did they specify which level?"

"They did," Ada answered. "They said that they would know by the doors."

Everyone turned to the larger-than-life, blue door ahead.

"One of these is not like the others," I muttered to myself.

"Exactly," Melissa said. "There are doors like these from here on out. As soon as members of the expedition noticed these doors, our parents made the decision to lock access to these levels from all Atlanteans."

"For good reason," Alex replied. "God knows what's in Atlantis' uncharted waters."

"So how did you get access?" Jennie asked.

McKay grinned evilly and nudged Ash. "It's amazing what you can do with the right motivation and explosives, isn't it?"

"Why do you need us to break Atlantis laws?" Delia asked the question that was on all of our minds.

"It took us three weeks, but we realized that this next room allows access to whomever you want," Melissa said. "But it's the stones that Asher found that will grant access to the next room."

"Plus, we figured it'd be nice to share the fun with you," Brandon replied with a smirk.

"Let's do it!" Matt cried.

"Yes," Jennie said with a grin. "We've gotta check it out!"

"Definitely," Hannah agreed. "Jake, we HAVE to go!"

"We don't HAVE to do anything," Jake replied. "But we will."

"Yes!"

Brandon shared a look with Jake. It was a look I knew well. As Jake turned back to me, all I could do was shrug and nod. This was it. No turning back now.

The door opened as soon as Brandon and Jake stepped up to it.

No turning back.

"We are so dead," Ada whispered.

Matt turned back with a smile and whispered back, "Yeah, isn't it great?"

Inside, there were four walls, just like any other room. However, on one wall there were several little shelves with little trinkets on top of them.

"Don't bother counting," Ash told the group. "We already know there are sixteen."

"Exactly sixteen?" Grace demanded, her eyes wide.

"Exactly," Melissa confirmed.

"What does that mean?" Hannah asked.

"There are sixteen of us," Rachel answered. "Exactly sixteen."

Slowly, I walked over to the wall next to Grace and Shay'na and looked at the shelves.

"This wall mentions taking a trip… time travel," Jennifer said as she touched the wall. Hannah, as always, was right by her side.

"They look like bracelets," I said to myself. "Hey! No time traveling!" I turned to Brandon in frustration. "Are you kidding?"

"Seriously, man," Matt agreed. "That's some crazy stuff you're messing with."

"It's stupid to even try," Nik added.

"I know!" Brandon cried. "I know that!"

"So why are we messing with it?" Grace asked, her eyebrow raised in indignation. "Do you realize what we're dealing with?"


	11. Chapter 9: Ada Zelenka

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I couldn't get the storyline out of my head for about a year now, so here it is.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

_**Ada Zelenka - Atlantis**_

"Of course we know what we're dealing with!" Caleb cried angrily.

"Listen, pal," Grace O'Neill started as she approached him threateningly, "I know you think you know everything and have control over _everything_ when it comes to astrophysics, but I've got news for you: You don't. We all know that this, this… _folly_ could destroy our very existence!"

"We've thought of everything," Caleb shot back.

"Obviously not very clearly," Shawn Mitchell replied.

"We think we can control it," Melissa shouted above the noise. "And we don't intend to do any time traveling. But first we have to gain access to the next room." She pointed to a door that I knew well. We had tried everything under the sun to get it open. Nothing. We had nothing to show for it.

"If you still don't want to do this with us, we understand," Brandon told the group. "But you have to trust us."

"We just met you," Jennifer Jackson shot back. "And you didn't even tell us the whole story last time."

"Give us a reason to trust you," Jake O'Neill challenged Brandon. "Give us a reason to trust you and we'll go on this crazy, half-baked trip."

"I know you guys are wondering if we've all met before," Brandon said to Jake.

Though Jake looked shaken, I had no idea what Brandon was talking about.

"Not all of us," Brandon clarified. "The older ones. I feel like I've met you, Grace, Shay, Rachel and Shawn before."

"Where?" Rachel Jackson demanded. "Where have you met us?"

"We were younger," Melissa said.

I nodded. That made sense. The rest of us were probably too small.

"You guys feel it too, don't you?" Brandon whispered. "You feel like something's off, like our parents are… hiding something! Don't you feel it?"

Jake took a moment to respond. "Yes," he finally agreed quietly. "I do."

"And you hate feeling that way," Melissa added.

"It sucks," Rachel said. "We've never doubted our parents like this before."

"Our parents are doing something," Caleb said resolutely. "Something that they felt they had to do. They wanted us to believe that this was our first time meeting each other, but it's not."

"And the amazing things that will be accomplished by this generation?" Asher quoted. "We think that we're supposed to accomplish them with you."

"Tonight?" Matthew Jackson demanded.

"Yes," Brandon insisted. "Tonight. Tonight, we find out what the Hell is going on."

"We think that everyone needs a stone," Ash explained as he gave one to each of us. "Above the shelves with the bracelets are little holes that are exactly the same shape and size as the stones. We have to try to put our stones in the hole above at the exact same time, and see if the bracelet will unlatch from its shelf. We tried it with just the six of us, but nothing happened. "

I watched as Matt approached the shelves, and knew immediately what the one with roaming hands would do. "What happens if we – OW!" Instantly, he yanked his hand back and began to shake it. I knew from experience that the shock would sting and numb his hand for at least ten minutes.

"The bracelets zap," Ash said nonchalantly before looking up at Matt. "You don't want to try it again."

"You got that right!" Matt cried. "Jeez!"

Everyone moved to the wall and stood in front of a bracelet.

"On the count of three," Brandon said as he raised his hand and everyone followed in suit. "One, two, three."

Sixteen tiny clanking sounds reverberated off of the walls, and were immediately followed by a rumbling sound that nearly sent me to my knees. Instantly, we all jumped away from the wall in anticipation of what might happen next. Of course we'd never gotten this far before, and we had no idea what to expect.

"Now, I think we can walk up to one of the holders and take a bracelet," Melissa suggested.

Brandon was the first to move towards the wall purposefully. I assumed that Jake wanted him to make the first move as an act of good faith.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," I squeaked before I could stop myself. Everyone was looking at me now, and not one of them was amused. "What?" I asked. "It just seemed like the right thing to say..."

Suddenly, a sharp snap echoed throughout the room, causing all of us to jump and turn to Brandon.

"Check it out!" Brandon cried, his wrist in the air. I could feel the grin on my face emerging. Soon, everyone was grinning. Pay dirt.

Jake was next. It looked like he wanted to do it before any of his friends, just in case anything went wrong. Brandon was the same way, so I was used to this mentality. Sure enough, as soon as Jake placed his hand on the bracelet, the holder unlatched and fell into his hand with the same snapping sound. Jake put the bracelet on and we watched in awe as it formed perfectly to the size and contour of his wrist.

"Yipes," Grace said with a frown. "It looks tight."

"It feels great," Jake said in awe, before turning to Brandon. "Doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Brandon said, his eyes wide.

Shawn and Caleb approached the wall next. Each glanced at the other, before they reached above and grabbed a bracelet. The holder instantly let go of the bracelets with that same unnerving sound.

Together, Shay'na, Rachel, Grace and Melissa came to the wall. None of them flinched, and I had to grin. They would be kick-ass to the end, it would seem. Four simultaneous snaps resounded, almost hurting my ears in the process. I glanced at Alex, who was literally trembling next to the girl named Delia.

Without further hesitations, I stepped up at the same time as Matt.

"Ladies first," he said with a grin. I had to stop myself from saying something inane, so I simply nodded in thanks and stepped forward.

We continued down the line until Hannah was the last one to put on her bracelet. As soon as it latched shut, however, the large door opened.

A collective sigh went out of us all.

This was it. No turning back.

I was terrified.


	12. Chapter 10: Alex Beckett

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I haven't been able to get the storyline out of my head for over a year now, so here it is.

**CHAPTER TEN**

_**Alex Beckett – Atlantis**_

"You know, before we were born, there was a mission where our parents wore these armbands that made them feel really strong and really good," Jake told the group as we trekked down the dark hall.

"And really fast," Grace added.

It was a long corridor that stretched to an indeterminable length. It was the darkest, dankest place we had ever traversed. Our flashlights didn't even seem to penetrate the darkness, and we could vaguely hear the churning of some kind of machine. "Is that the air conditioner kicking in?" Shawn had joked when it began. As it was, we had no idea where the noise was coming from.

"However, they couldn't take the armbands off," Jake continued. "Nothing worked. It was just shoddy tech, you know? In fact, the armbands failed at the most inopportune time: While our parents were on a Goa'uld ship, filled to the brim with explosives that THEY had planted, in an effort to destroy the damn snakehead."

"What did they do?" Ash nearly whispered in rapt from behind.

"They ran for their lives," Jake answered. "AFTER the shields went down. With the armbands, they had been able to run so fast that the shields couldn't stop them."

"You see," Grace began, "back then shield generators didn't compensate for matter that was traveling at such high velocity."

"Right, right," Caleb pressed on, clearly intrigued. "Did they ever document just how fast they were going?"

"No, unfortunately they didn't," Grace said, looking as depressed as Caleb. "Nevertheless, they were able to - "

"Grace," Jake interrupted, "can we, uh, save those little details for another time?"

"When the armbands failed," Rachel continued, sharing a knowing look with Jake, "Aunt Sam was stuck behind the shields."

"Moments later, they were discovered by the Goa'uld's Jaffa," Shay added.

"Dad wouldn't leave her behind though," Grace said quietly, meeting the gaze of her brother. He seemed to understand what she WASN'T saying in that statement. I didn't know which details were omitted, however the SGC kids seemed to know the story well.

"Then, of course, there was the time when Aunt Vala had bracelets that she latched to herself and Uncle Daniel," Delia said. "Whenever they were away from each other for long periods of time, they'd get sick. If they had been away from each other for too long, they would have died."

"Damn, crazy Ancients," Shawn muttered.

"Agreed," Nik said.

"Not my mother's finest moment," Rachel admitted with a rueful grin.

"Or Dad's, for that matter," Jennie added.

"Well, this is great," Caleb said as he shined his flashlight on the wall nearby. "You've just brought up possibilities that will fill my darkest nightmares for days to come. Now, do you have any GOOD bracelet stories?"

"Uh… none come to mind, no," Rachel answered rather cheekily.

"Great. Just great," Caleb retorted. "Well, just do me a favor and warn me the next time you decide to take a trip down Memory Lane. I'll try to keep myself occupied until the horrors are over."

"You know, I'm beginning to understand why YOU don't have any siblings," Matthew called from behind. "One of you is bad enough. Anymore than one has gotta be torture."

Snickers and chuckles echoed off the walls. I smirked. He had no idea.

Caleb could only sneer in Matt's general direction.

We walked for ten more minutes in relative silence. There wasn't much more to do than trek on. The hall was cold, but there was something unnaturally stifling about it. Mold and other fungi clung from the ceiling to the walls. After a while, though, all we could do was ignore the stench and continue. To my left, I saw Matt examining the fixtures directly above our head. Each fixture had a kind of tiny, intricately detailed statue on it. With the flashlight, we could see that the statues were gold and silver and in the shape of a king. I had watched him for some time now, and he looked just a bit too interested in them.

Sure enough, when I looked at him again a few minutes later, he was stuffing something into his pocket.

"I see a light!" Jennie suddenly called from the front before I could say anything. I turned ahead.

"What is that?" Ada cried.

"Whatever it is, it's getting brighter," Brandon said, his voice barely hiding his apprehension.

There was a tense silence as we all stopped in our tracks.

"I think I have to agree with Ada on this one," I announced. "This is NOT a good idea."

Three seconds passed as the lights grew.

"Yep, still getting brighter," Grace said quietly.

Soon the light was blinding.

Oh crap.

"Go!" Brandon and Jake cried simultaneously as they turned around and charged.

"Run!"

It was chaos. We ran like our lives depended on it, but the hall was not nearly wide enough for all of us to run comfortably. We no longer needed our flashlights as the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter and brighter, now accompanied by a high-pitched whining noise. It was all I could do to not put my hands over my ears. The light and the noise combined were just too much.

Looking around, I saw that the others were affected as well.

We're gonna die, I thought, and no one's gonna be able to find our bodies.

As my head began to pound and darkness crept in from the edges of my eyes, I fell to the ground in a heap. It vaguely registered in my mind that everyone else had collapsed as well.

My last thought was of how devastated our parents would be when they realized the truth of our disappearances.


	13. Chapter 11: Matt Jackson

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I haven't been able to get the storyline out of my head for over a year now, so here it is.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_**Matthew Jackson – Location Unknown**_

Darkness surrounded me.

I had an excruciating headache that reached from the top of my head to the base of my neck.

For a moment, I thought was dead.

Then I realized that the feeling of pain meant that I was alive.

Or ascended.

"Dang it, Dad!" I cried into the darkness. "Or should I say, 'Oma?'"

"Who's Oma?" a voice whispered from right by my ear. I jumped and I swear the scream that came out of my mouth was very manly.

At least it confirmed that I was neither dead nor ascended. And I could see.

Sitting down in front of me, with her light brown hair in her eyes, was Ada Zelenka.

"Oma… She's a good guy, used to look after our parents from time to time," I explained. "I've never met her, but I've heard only good things about her… Well… Sort of…"

Slowly I took note of my surroundings. Alex Beckett was sitting against the wall, his hand on his head, and a death glare sent my way. I frowned in confusion. Delia was sitting next to him, her arms around her legs. She looked about as confused as I was.

We were in a cave. A fairly dark, fairly dank cave. And our flashlights were piled haphazardly in the middle of the room. One was on, but it produced a helluvalot of light. Weird…

"So… That was some party, eh?" I asked. "Am I the last to come to?"

"Yes," Ada said gravely. "And we're the only ones in here."

"What? Where is everyone?" I demanded, feeling the bubbles of increasing panic. No way were we alone in this cave.

"And how exactly do you think we'd know that?" Alex challenged angrily, his ever-so-faint Scottish accent grating through. I frowned at his tone.

"Walkie-talkies?" I suggested. To Alex's left, Delia held up her own.

"We're either too far away, or something's blocking the transmission," Delia replied.

"Why were we separated?" I asked.

"And how?" Ada asked, as she seemed to be looking me over. "Your head is bleeding."

"Well, I think I can answer the first question!" Alex cried as he stood up and staggered over towards me. Delia was right by his side.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired, my fists clenched. The guy looked like he was about to do one of two things: Fight me or fall over.

"You!" Alex yelled as he pointed his muddy finger at me.

"Me?" I asked. "What about me?"

"You stole something from the hallway!" Alex cried. Swiftly, he wiped some dirt from his eyes. "A statue!"

Delia's gaze was on me now, and Ada looked away, clearly embarrassed. "Matt," Delia began slowly. "What did you do?"

"There were so many of them," I mumbled, my heart hammering in my chest. Nervously, I moved some hair out of my face. "I only took one."

"Only took one?!" Alex bellowed. "Only took one?!"

"Oh, Matt," Delia whispered, as she crouched down to my level. "What have you done?"

"Hey!" I cried defensively. "It was just ONE statue! There were hundreds of them!"

"And the Ancient technology registered that some greedy thief had stolen one of them, so it sent a massive ball of light our way as punishment, rendered us unconscious, separated us, and transported us here!" Alex shouted.

Delia turned to Ada then. "Is that possible?" Ada looked rather pensive at the possibilities.

"I'm not sure," Ada said. "It sounds extremely possible, given the extent of Ancient technology in the past. But I've never seen any kind of technology here on Atlantis that can do that."

"Of course you haven't seen that kind of technology," Alex began as he paced. "That's because we're NOT ALLOWED down here!"

"Hey, man, you came down here by your own free will," I snapped. "If we see any new kinds of technology here, dangerous or otherwise, you're as much to blame as the rest of us."

"One difference, Matt," Delia pointed out, her anger mounting. "None of US stole an Ancient statue. YOU did!"

Suddenly, Ada stood up and eyed the walls of the cave. "We could be anywhere," she said to herself.

"Exactly!" Alex cried. "Anywhere in the Universe!"

"But we're not," Ada clarified. "We're still on Atlantis."

"How can you tell?" Delia asked as she went to join Ada at the wall.

"These are the same kinds of caves that an Atlantis team found during an expedition three years before. I studied their findings last spring. The team determined that this kind of… dirt… It's indigenous to the Mainland on this planet, but there are absolutely no caves there. The caves that the Atlantis Team found were on the direct opposite side of the City."

"Other Forbidden Levels?" Delia asked.

"No," Ada said, her voice rising in excitement. "These caves were found approximately 1300 kilometers below the Atlantis Gateroom."


	14. Chapter 12: Nik

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I haven't been able to get the storyline out of my head for over a year now, so here it is.

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_**Nik – Location Unknown**_

"This is Hannah O'Neill, come in."

No answer.

"Grace? Jake? Shay? Anybody?"

Again, she was met with silence.

"This is Hannah O'Neill from the SGC. If there is anyone out there who can hear and respond to this transmission, please do so. If you are unable to respond verbally, please click twice. If you are injured, please click three times."

"OK, Hannah," Jennie said from her corner of the cave, "why don't you take a break. You've been at that for fifteen minutes now."

Hannah looked distraught. She was nothing if not persistent, but her constant movement was making us nervous. She hadn't stopped moving since we'd all woken up. "They've gotta be out there somewhere, right?" Hannah turned to me then, urging me to agree. I could only shrug noncommittally.

"They could be anywhere," I admitted. Hannah's face fell, and I winced. I hated it when she made that face, so I hurried to add, "Logically, I think they've gotta be in caves like we are."

"Yeah!" Hannah grinned. "That makes sense, right, Ash?"

Ash looked pensive. He had been characteristically silent since we'd realized we'd been separated from the others. Ash didn't say much at all, but then again, the same could very well be said about me. Everyone always called me The Observer, because I rarely spoke unless it was necessary. Ask me what everyone else's take on it was, and I could give you many details. Ask me what's going on around us, and I'm on it. Just don't ask me to give a dissertation on what I think should happen.

The fact of the matter was, Ash was the only one out of the four of us who could possibly have a clue about what was going on here.

"I wish I could be more definitive," Ash began, "but I'm really not sure where we are."

"This wasn't in the book?" Jennie inquired.

Ash shook his head and frowned thoughtfully. "We didn't read very far past the chapters that addressed the rooms. Beyond that, there were pages and pages of stories that told about various young men and women who would go on to conquer evil and free worlds."

"Were they talking about us?" Jennie demanded, her eyes wide. "Or, you know, about the younger generation you talked about before?"

Ash shrugged. "It's possible. Still, I'm not arrogant enough to think that it's ALL about us. There are many, many other teens who reside in Atlantis. They could be talking about hundreds of different people working together. Perhaps it includes people from Earth as well."

"Did it mention caves at all?" I asked. While I was interested to know what the book said about the future, if it didn't specify a way OUT of the caves, I really wasn't in the mood.

"No." Ash shook his head and flinched at the movement. He'd sustained some injuries while we were transported. Hannah said that his ribs were most likely bruised. Still, he didn't look like he was doing too well, no matter how hard he tried to mask the pain. Suddenly, he stood up and reached behind his back. Immediately, I knew what he was getting out. I knew because I'd received one as well. Apparently the girls didn't and hadn't.

"What the hell is that for!" Hannah demanded, as Ash wielded his gun at the wall.

"Asher?" Jennie warned, as she quickly headed over to Hannah and me. "What are you gonna do with that?"

Hannah turned to me then and her eyes widened as she realized that I had my gun out as well. It had apparently been instinctive of me. And I could tell just by a quick glance that she was angry. "Why do YOU guys have guns?"

"That's a good question!" Jennie cried. "Since when do you know how to use one, Nik?"

I shrugged. "I never said that I could. We just grabbed a couple extra ones – ones we knew for sure wouldn't be missed. It was for our protection."

"Protection?!" Hannah exclaimed. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe we'd like to help PROTECT OURSELVES too?"

I sighed. I should have known this was coming. Jennie was on my other side now, and angrily punched me in the arm. Yeah, I definitely should have known this was coming. "Besides, there are other ways to protect yourself, you know!"

"I know," I answered lamely. The shouting would be over soon. At least, I hoped it would. Their voices were echoing. Loudly.

When I glanced back at Hannah, she had my second least-favorite look on her face: Disappointment. And, as if that wasn't enough, she had to clarify what her look meant. "I'm really disappointed in you, Nik. After everything we've been through, I thought you respected us a bit more than that."

"Hey, it was your brother's idea," Ash said softly, as he idly fiddled with his weapon. I noticed that it looked about three inches longer and a bit skinnier than mine. "This will only take a second."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Shooting our way out of this cave is not an option," I replied.

At that, Ash turned back to face us, a mischievous gleam in his eye that I'd come to appreciate. "Who said anything about shooting?"

That's when I realized that his reputation was not all hype.

He was a master of weaponry and explosions, and he really wasn't afraid to use them.


	15. Chapter 13: Delia Mitchell

**The Next Generation**

Season: Future

Summary: For the future to be secured, he must go back in time so they can relive the present.

Future, Alternate Universe, Crossover with SG-1 and Atlantis, Angst, Action/Adventure

Pairings: Too many to mention

A/N: This is undoubtedly a crack!fic gone horribly, horribly awry. The amount of characters involved alone is enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, I haven't been able to get the storyline out of my head for over a year now, so here it is.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_**Delia Mitchell – Location Unknown**_

I had never been so angry with Matt in my life. I mean, he was one of my best friends. He and I were always close and always had been. Sure, we rarely saw eye to eye, but if he needed me to bail him out of a jam, I'd be there.

Not this time.

Not with so much riding on our survival.

This had been such a bad idea. All of it.

And yet… I couldn't stop feeling like there was more I could be doing. There was so much to learn and see, and I was ready for the challenge. Really, I was.

Still, I was unfathomably pissed at Matt.

So I was pacing. To keep myself from yelling at him.

"Are you going to sit down like the rest of us?" Matt asked from his spot near the flashlights. He'd had the bright idea of doing an inventory check. Not once had he produced the damn statue. I chose not to respond. "Delia? Deli? Deli?"

My God, was he singing?!

Alex was leaning against the wall across the cave, his eyes focused above. He wasn't doing so well. He'd gotten hurt somehow, and his ribs seemed to be killing him. He said they weren't broken, but they were giving him a lot of problems. He kept getting winded, and his last bout of shouting at Matt hadn't done him any good. He hadn't said much since then. I hated to admit it, but I was worried about the guy.

Ada, on the other hand, had taken to helping Matt with the stuff in our backpacks. She was putting them in neat little piles, and she was talking non-stop about what the team had found in the caves. She was saying something about text and technology that had helped defeat the Wraith. The thing was, they'd only found four caves. No one had known that these existed, and we still didn't know how many there were out there.

This led us back to square one, which meant that everyone else could have been absolutely anywhere.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stomped over to where he was sitting and I slapped him in the back of the head. Hard.

"Ow!" Matt howled. "What'd you do that for?"

"This is all YOUR fault, Matthew Jackson!"

"You don't think I know that already? You haven't failed to remind me of that fact every ten MINUTES!"

"Well, let me keep up with tradition: This is all your fault. And I can't believe the only thing you've come up with is the oh-so-bright idea of putting all of our stuff into useless piles!"

"It's all I can do right now," Matt muttered, his head bowed low as he continued to look through his backpack. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Oh, no, Matt," I replied. "Keep doing what you're doing. I'd say you've helped enough."

Immediately, I turned on my heels and headed back towards Alex. His eyes were closed now and he was very still. His breathing was slightly ragged and –

I felt horrible. I knew I shouldn't have said those things to Matt. I knew he probably felt bad enough. I'd just added to the guilt.

Still, I deserved to be angry. As did Alex and Ada. Matt was my best friend, like a brother, but he was not exempt from facing the consequences.

I'd mend fences later – if and when we made it out of these stupid caves.

"How are you doing?" I asked Alex softly as I crouched down to his level. He was looking a bit pale.

He opened his sharp, green eyes at my voice and grinned. "I'm just fine. I think I might even scale the wall."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah." Alex smile grew and his gaze fell above my head. "See for yourself."

I followed it, and saw instantly what he was talking about. Starting at about eight feet off the ground, there were little stepping stones. They were too small to climb comfortably, but not altogether impossible. I sighed and turned back to Alex. "Ha. I wish."

"What? You don't think you can do it?" Alex asked with a grin. I shook my head, feeling slightly inadequate for his suggestion of such an incredible task.

"Nah. Now, Jennie. She'd figure out how to do it in no time flat. Me?" I turned back up to the walls of the cave. They seemed to go on forever. "Give me an aircraft any day."

"Oh." Alex nodded slowly. "Well, as long as we're choosing, I'll take an escalator. Or better yet, a bloody elevator."

"Sounds good to me." I giggled. "You never did honestly answer my question, Alex."

"I'll be fine. Give me a little rest, some hot soup, and I'll be fine."

"I might be able to grant you that. Give me one sec."

With some trepidation, I headed back over to where Ada and Matt were sitting. Ada was saying something softly to Matt, and he was nodding in response. I hated to break up their little chat, but they'd seemed to have lost sight of our problems. Or… maybe not.

"Hey guys," I said quietly, glancing back at Alex's still form for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to have any rations in there, would you?"

"I think I might have seen a couple in one of our useless piles," Matt retorted, not bothering to meet my eyes as he shifted some stuff around and passed me a bowl. "The sterno is already on." His eyes were still downcast, and it really annoyed me that I badly wanted to make eye contact with him.

I turned to Ada, expecting her to be doing the same, but she was looking me straight in the eye, almost as if she were begging me to say something. Anything.

"Thank you," I whispered to the both of them. "Thank you for thinking outside of the box."


End file.
